Denton Lotz

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Denton Lotz

Denton Lotz (born January 18, 1939 in Flushing , New York - † April 23, 2019 in Forestdale , Massachusetts ) was an American Baptist theologian and pastor. From 1988 to 2007 he held the office of General Secretary of the Baptist World Federation . Lotz also gained notoriety for his commitment to religious freedom .

Life

Denton Lotz came from an American family on his father's side. After his school education, Lotz studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1961 . This was followed by a degree in theology at Harvard Divinity School , which he completed in 1966 with a Bachelor of Sacred Theology . The next station in his theological training was the University of Hamburg . Here he received his doctorate in theology in 1970.

After completing his studies, Denton Lotz was called to serve in the missionary service of the American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA). The focus of his work was the theological education and training of local Baptist pastors in Central and Eastern Europe. In this context he taught missiology and homiletics as an associate professor for 11 years at the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Rüschlikon ( Switzerland ) (whose headquarters have since moved to Amsterdam ). Lotz was responsible for the establishment of the Summer Institute of Theological Education (SITE) , a short-term theological course that was used during the Iron Curtain era in particular by Baptist pastors from countries in the former communist Eastern Europe.

In 1980 Denton Lotz returned to the United States and took over the youth department of the Baptist World Federation , which is based in Washington, DC , and a short time later became head of the evangelism and education department . In 1988 he became the successor of the fatally injured Baptist General Secretary Gerhard Claas . He held the office until his retirement in 2007. In this church leadership function, he represented Baptists worldwide at interdenominational and international meetings. One of the outstanding events of his tenure was a meeting with the Cuban massimo lider Fidel Castro , which, among other things, made it possible to import Bibles into Cuba.

During and in addition to his work as General Secretary Denton Lotz was committed to freedom of belief and conscience worldwide and received numerous awards for his work in this context. Even after his retirement he served as president of the International Association for Religious Freedom . As Secretary General of the Alliance, he founded the so-called Special Commission of Baptists against Racism and Ethnic Conflicts , which was also involved in the publication of the Harare Declaration . Lotz was also the initiator of the Baptist Decade for Racial Justice . Another focus of his activity was the promotion of worldwide Baptist missionary work.

Denton Lotz died after a serious cancer illness. He was married to Janice, nee Robinson. The marriage resulted in two sons and a daughter.

Appreciations

Denton Lotz has received numerous awards for his work within and outside the Baptist World Federation. These include honorary doctorates from Campbell University , Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary , Dallas Baptist University and Alderson-Broaddus College . The $ 100,000 prize, which the Baptist World Alliance awards each year for outstanding achievements in the field of human rights and religious freedom , bears the name of Denton Lotz.

Selected works

  • The Evangelization of the World in this Generation. The Resurgence of a Missionary Idea among the Conservative Evangelicals , Hamburg 1970
  • Proclaiming the Good News in a Secular and Desinterested Society ; in: Community of Churches and Social Responsibility. The dignity of the other and the right to think differently. Festschrift for Prof. Dr. Erich Geldbach (Ed .: Lena Lybaek, Konrad Raiser, Stefanie Schardien), Berlin, Hamburg, Münster 2004, ISBN 3-8258-7061-8 , ISBN 978-3-8258-7061-4 , pp. 527-538
  • Baptists against Racism , Washington 1999, ISBN 0-9673416-1-2
  • Together in Christ. Official Report of the Sixteenth Baptist World Congress Seoul, Korea August 14-19 , Washington 1990
  • Baptist Faith & Witness. The Papers of the Study and Research Division of the Baptist World Alliance 1990-1995 , Washington 1995, ISBN 978-0-9625634-0-9
  • Proceedings of the Summit on Baptist Mission in the 21st Century (Ed.)
  • Baptists against Racism , Washington 1999, ISBN 978-0-9673416-1-3

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Short biography of Denton Lotz ; in: Who's who in international organizations ; Retrieved February 8, 2009
  2. BaptistPressNews.net: Denton Lotz: Former BWA General Secretary this ; accessed on April 27, 2019
  3. The topic of his doctoral thesis was: The Evangelization of the World in this Generation. The Resurgence of a Missionary Idea among the Conservative Evangelicals
  4. ^ Archive link ( Memento from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) "The Baptist Press of June 28, 2000 reported that as a result of a visit from BWA leaders, the Cuban government allowed shipment of 50,000 Bibles into the country in 1989. After that , the BWA held several evangelistic meetings, held a theological conference, and provided medicines and food. Every Baptist should be proud of such Christ-focused ministry efforts that brought hope to people who desperately needed it. It is not hard to fathom, then, why the BGCM supports the BWA. " Retrieved February 8, 2009
  5. Appreciation Denton Lotz on the official website of the Baptist World Federation ( Memento of October 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on February 8, 2009
  6. ^ Official website of the International Religious Liberty Association ( Memento of February 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive ); Retrieved February 8, 2009
  7. Dr. Denton Lotz, the IRLA President for 2001-2002, received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from the Dallas Baptist University where he has also been given the title of "World Class Christian Statesman". ( Memento of March 6, 2008 in the Internet Archive ); Retrieved February 10, 2009
  8. ^ Denton Lotz Human Rights Award